Customers are in the midst of a total mobile mind shift. They’re not interested in brand messaging or logos; they want utility — and they want it now.

New Forrester data (www.forrester.com) shows that 22% of US online adults are far along in this shift, connecting everywhere, frequently, on multiple devices. For marketers, meeting the needs of this demanding customer base in a mobile setting is a marketing imperative.

In a new Forrester report that debuted at the annual Forrester Marketing Forum in LA, Analyst Melissa Parrish detailed marketing strategy for the mobile mind shift. She notes it will depend on the frequency of brand/customer interactions and the quality of the experience of these interactions. For instance, brands that offer high-quality, frequent interactions (think Starbucks, Disney), should expand their customer relationships by rolling out new mobile features. Brands with low-quality, infrequent interactions should think about partnering with today’s digital disruptors that are becoming customers’ trusted agents (consider healthcare brands partnering with the popular weight-loss app, Lose It!).

“For brands that don’t make changes now, they will be chasing the mobile mind shift as it affects greater portions of the population,” says Parrish. “Not only will current profits fall, but the brands’ ability to be profitable in the future will decrease, as the only customers to whom they will still be relevant will be in the oldest demographic.”